The vacation had been great, both Emily and Frank had to agree. But they missed the animals of the shelter. When they went to pick up dog Frank and Dahlia the hamster, they looked well-taken care of. And, honestly, the two had not expected anything else.

They would miss Jack and Deborah. The two had been friendly and outgoing. However, they had agreed to go on a joined vacation next year. With the children, this time.

They were both in the shelter now, feeding the animals. George and Vincent had the week off, since they had stood-in for Emily and Frank for an entire week.

There were a couple of new animals, which made Frank frown. He knew that there was nothing he could do to stop people from abandoning their animals, but, he still wanted to do something.

He went to the front desk and waited until Emily paid him attention.

"Something on your mind?" She asked with a slight smile on her lips.

"Do you think we could do an awareness campaign? To inform people of what happens to pets after they leave them to a shelter or on the streets?" Frank did not mention all the times they had been called to pick up an animal from the forest. Those times had been too cruel to think about.

"Good idea. I think we could get some time during the town's day," the town's holiday was in two weeks. Plenty of time to organize a campaign.

"We can invite other people to come, from the farms around town," Frank had the sinking suspicion that most of the abandoned animals in the forest came from the farms. People there did not neuter their animals, most times, and didn't keep the young pets past a certain age. Or, in other words, past them outgrowing their cuteness.

"The farmers would be a tough nut to crack," Emily warned him. She had few dealings with farmers, but, she imagined that, when they moved to the new shelter outside of town, that would change.

"We have to think like them to win them over. Make the suggestion seem like it had come from them," Frank mused. If he could convince the people, of both the town and the farms, that it was in their best interest to be kinder to animals, then they might stop abandoning their pets. Or, even neuter the ones they wanted to keep. 

"Two weeks, then," Emily was already browsing the web for arguments she could put in her presentation. But, Frank was banking on another avenue.

People were creatures of habit. Many must have tried to talk them into not abandoning their pets, only to fail. There had to be a factor that Frank could recognize that fed the habit of taking care of an animal only while it was cute and small.

He racked his brain for the answer.  He couldn't understand people like that. They were no better than the people who considered animals to be status symbols. Or, of those that just wanted to use them as decoration.

What could convince people who didn't care that animals had feelings too? That their life mattered? Maybe, if he banked on the average person's selfishness, he would have bigger success?

They could say that animals, left unchecked, spread diseases that spread onto livestock. No, that would lead to people killing the unwanted pets.

Maybe he could say that dogs were good guards and that cats caught mice? It was a cliché, but it made the two, look practical. But, surely, everyone knew these two things already?

Frank ran a hand over his hair. In the end, the best thing they could do was present the same old arguments in a light manner and hope for the best. If they failed, then, they would get even more new animals.

And, while the shelter didn't have any monetary troubles, what with Emily doing a better job getting money for it than old Xavier, it just broke Frank's heart every time he saw a new animal in the shelter.

Healthy, perfectly lovable, animals were being abandoned every day. On top of that, the shelter took the animals that were due to be put down of the neighboring town's shelter. For now, they simply were running out of space and that needed to change.

Then, Frank got an idea. What if all the no-kill shelters of the entire country banded together and did an awareness program? If just one shelter was trying to spread the message, then their voice was going to be lost in the nothingness that was today's news overflow.

If all the no-kill shelters banded together, it would be a different story. With a bounce to his step, he went to Emily.

"Emily, contact all the no-kill shelters in the states and ask them if they can't participate in our awareness campaign," Emily blinked at that. Surely, Frank must know how much money something like that would cost?

"Frank, we don't have the funds for a campaign of that scale," she began, but, at the determined look on Frank's face, she sighed. "I have no idea if it is going to work in just two weeks."

"Try, for the animals," Frank urged, and Emily's eyes softened. Frank had admitted to her, once, that he hadn't been able to take care of animals prior to beginning his work for the shelter. He had gone a long way, and Emily loved him all the more for it. 

"I will do my best, but I make no promises. I will need to ask them to fund their own ends of the campaign, after all," Emily went to look for the known no-kill shelters as Frank went to the storage room to prepare to feed the animals their dinner. All the while, he couldn't help but think that, if this worked, a lot of animals were going to be happier for it.

That night, as the two were curled around each other under the covers, Emily allowed herself a smile. Five of the ten shelters she had contacted had told her they will help, and fund their own events.  She had not told that to Frank.

 For she wanted to give him a more impressive number than five, and she was sure that she could manage, if she put enough work into it.